Disney itself states that the practice of moratorium is done to both control their market and to allow Disney films to be fresh for new generations of young children.[1]

The practice of moratorium has been frowned upon by consumers because it forces higher sale prices. A normal DVD that is sold under moratorium can sell at retail for a very high price relative to the general run of DVDs. However, prices are known to drop near the end of the issue. In the past, a moratorium created urgency for people interested in a film to obtain it before it became unavailable. A side effect of the moratorium process is the fact that videos and DVDs of films, once they are placed on moratorium, become collector's items. Additional unintended side-effects to the practice of moratorium has made films a prime target for on-line video-sharing site distribution and the proliferation of counterfeit DVD manufacturing.[2]